That’s the end of an era in the Falls, that’s for sure… Everyone is devastated… I was sad because he had been there for me during my time in prison, and helped a ton with hooking me up with the right guys…Guys all around the country that knew him are shocked, but life goes on…”

With those words, a convicted Niagara Falls racketeer and former federal inmate who spoke on the condition of anonymity described reaction to the death of Benjamin “Sonny” Nicoletti Jr., 73, named by federal law enforcement officials as the head of organized crime in this city and the man in charge of illegal gambling and loan sharking in Western New York, and beyond, for the last 40 years read the rest Here Niagra Falls reporter